Plaxico Burress would give the Bears' a big-play receiver -- but at what cost?
Sobering news for Plaxico Burress, the Bears and any other NFL team interested in signing the game-breaking former Giants receiver: Cleveland Browns receiver Donte Stallworth was indefinitely suspended without pay by the NFL on Thursday for driving drunk and killing a pedestrian in Miami.
Commissioner Roger Goodell's punishment came on the heels of Stallworth agreeing to plead guilty to DUI manslaughter charges, receiving a 30-day jail sentence and reaching a financial settlement with the family of Mario Reyes, the 59-year-old construction worker he struck with his car on a Miami highway.
''The conduct reflected in your guilty plea resulted in the tragic loss of life and was inexcusable,'' Goodell said in a letter to Stallworth. ''While the criminal justice system has determined the legal consequences of this incident, it is my responsibility as NFL commissioner to determine appropriate league discipline for your actions, which have caused irreparable harm to the victim and his family, your club, your fellow players and the NFL.''
So although Stallworth's jail sentence would have enabled him to resume playing this season (he also must serve two years of house arrest and spend eight years on probation, but the house-arrest provisions would allow him to play), Goodell brought down the hammer and cast the Browns receiver's NFL career into limbo. Speculation is that Stallworth could be banned for a year or more.
Goodell's actions will weigh heavily on any team that considers bringing in Burress, whose weapons-possession case has been adjourned until Sept. 23, making it unlikely he would stand trial before 2010. Goodell doesn't necessarily have to wait for justice to be handed down in Plaxico's case; the commissioner has the power to issue a suspension at any time based on the facts involved in the arrest of Burress, who shot himself in the thigh with an unlicensed gun last November.
Burress may have made a tactical error by reportedly rejecting a plea deal that would sent him to jail for only a few months. Had he accepted that penalty, he could be wrapping up his time behind bars and in a position to return to the NFL after serving what is expected to be a suspension of about eight games from Goodell. Such a scenario might have had Burress ready to join the Bears or another team for the stretch run of the 2009 season, free and clear with no further penalties looming.
Instead, Burress remains "damaged good," his fate to remain the subject of speculation for months to come. What sense does it make for the Bears to bring him aboard, only to risk the possibility of losing him? What's worse, he would be a member of the Bears when the penalties came down, casting the organization in a poor light in spite of the fact he was with the Giants when he allegedly broke the law.
The Bears don't need this kind of potentially cancerous distraction. Nor do they need to go anywhere near unhappy Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall, who was suspended last season for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy. Better to stick with Devin Hester, Earl Bennett, Rashied Davis and rest of a receiving corp that figures to look much better this season with Jay Cutler putting pinpoint passes into just the right spots.
Remember, Bears fans: This is not a "win-or-else" season just because they acquired Cutler. It's not like they mortgaged their future to bring in an aging veteran QB whose window of opportunity is closing. Cutler is only 26 -- he should make the Bears rock-solid at the game's most important position for years to come, meaning GM Jerry Angelo can proceed in a rational manner toward building another Super Bowl contender.
Stu - u couldn't be more correct.
Apparently he has no real interest in attending meetings or practicing. Like u said, it's not one and done this year. As much as I hate to say it, let's see if can make the rec's and TEs better and go from there before we roll the dice on this guy or a spousal abuser (Marshall)...
Not all NFL players are like these 2...
100%, no question, you make a run at Plaxico!
Im sick of trying to act like a Charm School, instead of a football team.
GET HIM NOW!
okay Stu repeat after me - any chance the bears have to get top level talent at a key position they should go for it. all great receivers are ego maniacs who do dumb things. feel better yet? think Randy Moss. even better, think of Randy Moss's undefeated team getting beat by Plaxico catching a touchdown. it was smart to postpone his trial. it increases his chance to play this year and forces Goodell to break his policy of waiting for the court to give a ruling. Plaxico does need firearms and common sense training (how to carry a loaded gun without shooting yourself). he is going to play somewhere, here is better than another team. I can't wait to have disgruntled players after winning a Superbowl.
I agree with Stu - but I want a stud. Wisdom says wait. We have to be patient with Cutler. After 2 seasons we should be looking to make our push to the SB. But I am a "why wait" kinda guy and say what's wrong with winning right now??? Bears need to find out what the commish is going to do and then go from there. Plaxico is a big target for Cutler. He has a ring and that has to be investigated. The other guy on the Broncos....don't know, but if the price is right, and Cutler wants him - make that move. I also want to see if it was our QB's or our recievers so I am interested to see what we got. We have to get this season under our belt to make real decisions, but make no bones about it - I want some STUDS in here. No use getting gun if you aint gonna by no bullets to shoot. And I wouldn't waste Cutler's time - equip him to succeed, and the Bulls need to do the same with Rose.
The Bears have been burned before taking a chance on these type of characters and you can bet that Angelo and Lovie haven't forgotten how much they tried to make it work with Tank Johnson. The one glaring difference also is that at least Tank tried to act remorseful about his mistakes he committed at the time, but Plaxico doesn't even appear to show any remorse and hasn't shown that he would do any different in handling unlicensed weapons. It's all on J.A. and Lovie to take a chance on Plax, but I don't see them doing it. There's no denying Plax's talent and Championship experience, but for me, no thanks.
I'm sorry, but this is barbarian professional football we're talking about here, not some Sunday church league. Least we not forget a weapons charge and vehicular homicide are galaxies apart.
I have a strange feeling our loose cannon QB may have a positive effect on Plaxico. Negative times negative equals positive. It works not only in math but in the crazy world of pro football. Go figure, and go get Burress.
This is no time for wearing a dress!
At first I thought we should sign him to a one year deal... few strings attached. Still am leaning that way, but two things have deintensified my feelings toward that:
1. From what I've been hearing, Burress isn't just making bad decisions off the field, but he's been a locker room cancer.
2. I know its OTA's and you should take them with a grain of salt, but it sounds like the receivers have really turned heads, particularly Earl Bennett and Johnny Knox.
Still, knowing he'd be suspended a few games giving these guys playing time and opportunities to make their cases to stay on the field... Burress would be a good insurance policy if we needed that big target down the stretch. I'd rather have him than Rashied Davis taking up a roster spot at this point.
Bubba's Mom defers to all of you wise guys regarding Plaxico.
In the mean time, to Navarro, Culzie, Keith, Gig, Edgar, Villano, Stu, and anyone I missed -
Happy Fathers Day to all of you. Culzie - enjoy your first big Fathers Day. Even if some of you don't have kids of your own, if you're a good role model, then you deserve a nod this weekend, and a thank you. Have a good one!
Stu responds: Thanks much, Bubba's Mom!
Thanks Bubba's Mom...that was sweet of you to remember!
For Fathers day...as a gift...I want a Gun Tote'n, Super Bowl Win'n Wide Receiver!
Wait a minute, Plaxico didnt KILL anyone...i think everyone who isnt a felon should have the right to carry a gun.And as for our justice system This guy Stallworth Killed someone drunk driving and only got 30 days in jail?Who the heck was the jury on that one ? the dog pound from cleveland?He should be in jail 4 years he killed someone for pete sake!
Mike in Fort Wayne,
I couldn't agree with you more concerning the 30-day slap-on-the-wrist for Stallworth. I'm sure the dead man's family is overjoyed with that sentence.
Happy Father's Day to the father of the now fatherless family.
Agree with you too Mike in Fort Wayne. It's so true that as long as you're drunk and kill another person the law will give you a better chance to redeem yourself and get on with your life. I can see why Plax didn't want to do twice that considering that it's excessive to begin with. People will say that the bullet that hit Plax's leg could've hit someone else but that's like horse shoes. Perceived close calls aren't important to me. You can do that all day. Guys like Plax hear about every single player who gets robbed. It could be Jim-Bob Toller in Texas and because he isn't anyone in particular we don't bat an eye about what happened to him. When player hear about any player of any sport that gets robbed they take that to heart. It could've been them. We worry about it only when it hit close to home. If Burger King gets robbed we read about it and turn to the next page. Restaurant owners and workers wonder if they are next. No matter what kind of restaurant they have. We don't see another person's paranoia. Plax could've gotten a permit easily but disregarded the process. Wrong on his part. But how many of us are driving around without a valid city sticker, valid license and insurance? We do wrong on our scale of life and then rail against someone else who we perceive as an idiot. But any time that a guy can get probation or 30 days for taking someone's life and we are okay with that then that's crazy. I wouldn't want to do any jail time either if I was Plax. It looks like the bigger the star the larger the punishment. I don't spend my time tearing these guys down for doing things that young and cavalier people do. I only care about what a guy does on Sundays. If he's beating his wife, kids or a rap, he's wrong but in the real scheme of things he isn't my concern. I only care what they do during games because that's how they entertain me. I'm not looking up to them as role models and people should teach their kids that they are just people who make mistakes. If people took a bigger role in their kid's lives they would have the right role models to begin with. I don't envy them and i don't detest them when they throw away all they have by not thinking about the bigger picture. I'm 45 and I'm still not aware what the bigger picture is anyone. Unless it entails getting up and going to work and not complain too much about having that ability to do it then I'm straight.
Hey, I'm with some of you guys who don't really care what these players do off the field, but with me, the point is that these knuckleheads are getting caught time and time again. It's the REPEAT OFFENDERS, whether they actually break the law or violate a team rule, whatever the case is, but some of these guys are not learning their lessons. That's why I brought up the Tank Johnson mess earlier. The Bears gave him a chance to stay out of trouble. I remember being involved in the same blog topic discussions about Tank and many fans at the time said the same thing... "give him a chance", "Tank's not a murderer so what's the big deal?", "athletes aren't role models", etc. etc. Come on, man, what else is new here? This is not about what type of crime he committed. This is about whether we think Plax will get himself in trouble again. For me, I don't think he's learned his lesson and I think it's too risky for the Bears to take a chance. Maybe a one-year contract loaded with incentives (assuming Goodell doesn't suspend him of course), but you all really think that Plax signs a one-year contract with stipulations up the ying yang? I don't think so. Be careful what you wish for is all I'm saying.
I'm a Giants fan who has seen Plaxico up close for a few years. I would say to Bears fans, be careful what you wish for, you may get it. Not just because of the idiocy of the nightclub incident, but because Plaxico was a nightmare in the locker room. Constantly late, missing practices, unexcused absences, and more than 50 fines in his three years as a Giant. You can have him.
But it's looking more and more like he won't be playing at all. Benjamin Branfman, his lawyer thought he made a clever move, asking for a continuance until September 23. His thinking was no trial date would be set before the first of the year. Until now, everything has been plea bargaining negotiations, with no formal indictment yet. That's because the DAs office thought that they could come to an agreement.
Unfortunately for him and Plaxico, DA Robert Morgenthau just announced he's taking it to a grand jury that is meeting in July. If they hand down an indictment, the court date on September 23 will be to set a trial date. Who is going to sign him with a trial looming?
If you want to know what's wrong with Plaxico in a nutshell: he was offered a plea deal where he would've gotten three months of jail time. He would've gone into jail in March and been out early June. Goodell would have suspended him for the first eight games of the year. He would've been free to play the stretch run for a playoff seeking team.
Instead, he reportedly insisted on no jail time at all. An unbelievable request, given that Mayor Bloomberg pushed through the mandatory jail sentence law, and has been all over this case publicly.
That's the kind of judgment you would be getting if you sign him. Good luck!
Remember guys, the family took the money! Personally, I would have demanded compensation and jail time, but what the heck do I know?
In these harsh economic times, toss a few millons at the family of a dead love one, and whose to say any of us wouldn't have went along with this agreement of 30 days. I don't hear an outcry from the dead person's family members.
And for the record I never said to sign him at all. I say proceed with caution. To me Bloomberg has bigger situations he should take care of. Any time cops can shoot at an unarmed man ,reload and shoot some more and then his cops aren't prosecuted then I think he's not considered fair anyway. Eventually he will be out of office just like everyone else who New Yorkers thought were their problem solvers. They have a long list of prior Mayors who were And maybe Plax is so scared of jail that he rather take his chances on a trail or whatever. Maybe he's seen too many episodes of Law and Order and thinks he knows better.
And for the record I never said to sign him at all. I say proceed with caution. To me Bloomberg has bigger situations he should take care of. Any time cops can shoot at an unarmed man ,reload and shoot some more and then his cops aren't prosecuted then I think he's not considered fair anyway. Eventually he will be out of office just like everyone else who New Yorkers thought were their problem solvers. They have a long list of prior Mayors who were great starting out and are now considered no one special. And maybe Plax is so scared of jail that he rather take his chances on a trail by jury or whatever. Maybe he's seen too many episodes of Law and Order and thinks he knows better.
I think were getting plaxico by the comments I've read and think it's a good move.carrying a gun is legal in one place and banned in another, protected by the constitution and upheld by the supreme court in the district of columbia, Encouraged in texas,but illegal in chicago. Pro-atheletes are robbed and sometimes killed like the safety from washington,I believe it was taylor, who was killed in his miami home by armed robbers because all he had was a machetti. I believe in bennett, and think rashied may return to the form he displayed with grossman after not clicking with Orton. but rookies on the bears do not have a track record of being day one probowl contenders and I believe our 2009 superbowl should be built on proven free agent veterans that compliment our young bucks. while pace and urlacher/briggs are still young the clock is ticking!
first - to Bubba's Mom - THANKS! :)
Second - to Brian - Thanks, I change my vote on Plexico. I vote NO! Anyone that dumb cannot be reasoned with. I don't like unreasonable people. If the Bears get him I will root for him of course, but I don't recommend they pick him up.
Shout out to Bubba's Mom! Thanx for the FD wishes. Worked with an electrician named Bubba for a few years and I can't help but think about the dude every time I see your name.
PLAXICO!!! You bum, get your shift together, you're coming to Chi-Town!
". I don't spend my time tearing these guys down for doing things that young and cavalier people do. I only care about what a guy does on Sundays. If he's beating his wife, kids or a rap, he's wrong but in the real scheme of things he isn't my concern. I only care what they do during games because that's how they entertain me."
William; I know that I'm taking this to the extreme, but I feel it necessary in order to fully explain my position regarding your quoted statement.
I do care how these players comport themselves off the field and in their personal life. I don't want to be entertained by wife beating drug addicts, or homicidal drunk drivers anymore than I'd wish to be entertained by people like John Gacy or Ted Bundy even if they had been All Star caliber athletes.
I have nou use for players like Pacman Jones, no desire to watch them perform, and I certainly don't want them on any team I root for.
If I ever do feel the urge to watch criminals play games, I'll head down to the local state prison, and see if they'll let me watch a pick-up basketball scrum.
Mark, I can see your point but it's the way I feel. I don't care what a person does anywhere unless it affects me. If Plaxico shot me I would be mad. If he shot a family member I would be mad. If he shot a coworker I would be concerned especially if I had to do extra work in his absence. I would be concerned that someone was hurt but I would leave it up to the law to dole out that punishment. I can be dismayed by the extent of the punishment but I have to go about my business doing my usual day to day. I'm not Ghandi so I'm not gonna cry for the world. You see how that cop was given probation for beating that bartender like she was a dog? It was totally caught on video and the judge said that if giving the cop jail time would curb drunken behavior he would do it but since it wouldn't he let him free. Now that I can be up in arms about. But guess what: I let it go. There will be another situation in the near future that will make me say WTF but guess what, for my sanity I will let it go. I may not like the result but I have to live with it. I think you are concerned about these guys from an envy standpoint. Maybe you wanted to be an athelete and didn't cut it and you take that out on them. Maybe the prejudice you have come out with these athletes. People have prejudices and sometimes they can't let them go. A quarter of the stars you grew up watching who were the swatchbucklers and the tough guy were gay or wifebeaters. Does that change the way you look at them? Does the Brady Bunch make your stomach turn because the dad was gay in real life? For some people that is a fact. But why should it matter? It shouldn't but it does. The pet peeves I have in life is in regard to my day to day; slow drivers, maniac drivers who cut me off or ride so close I think they are in my backseat, inconsiderate people who don't have manners, jackasses and bigots. Sports are my escape and so are the TV shows. I can care less if a star is a drunk, get married for 36 hours, go to rehab every odd month, cheat on their spouse or at cards. I don't need to read about them in a police blotter or People magazine. I have better things to do than be envious or judgmental. I have realized that things don't go the way I plan but I try not to let that bug get in my butt about it. Gacy entertained kids as a clown and was one of the best. That's sad but true. No one knew what he did until that came to light. Once things like that come to light THEN I will be concerned.
IS IT JUST ME OR DOES MARK SEEM TO START BY SAYING HE DOESNT CARE WHAT ATHLETES DO, AND THEN GOES ON TO SAY, HE DOES CARE AND DOESNT WANT TO SUPPORT PLAYERS WHO ACT A FOOL?
IM TOTALLY CONFUSED?...DID ANYONE ELSE SEE THAT?
You're correct William; I do have prejudices against criminals and convicted felons, trying to sell themselves to me as entertainers ... regardless of race, color, or creed.
I don't much care for them, and it has nothing to do with any of that "envy" crap you tried to lay on me.
The day that I envy talented drug addicts, and killers is the day I'll just give up watching professional sports.
And the things you speak of that you claim don't concern you have already come to light, so we're not talking about issues and transgressions that have yet to be discovered.
As far as being judgmental ... you're damned right I am. And I sincerely doubt that I'm in the minority. We all make judgements and form opinions. Without the need to do so we would have no use whatsoever for courts of law, or jurys for that matter.
You can root for for all the miscreants that you want.
I'll take a pass.
One of my fellow bloggers once commented that people who post with their finger stuck to the cap key are screaming for attention, while having little or nothing worth paying attention to.
I tend to agree.
"IS IT JUST ME OR DOES MARK SEEM TO START BY SAYING HE DOESNT CARE WHAT ATHLETES DO, AND THEN GOES ON TO SAY, HE DOES CARE AND DOESNT WANT TO SUPPORT PLAYERS WHO ACT A FOOL?"
It's just you.
Nice try..but your not going to deflect the subject from your speaking out of both sides of your mouth ...to my type face.. Donte!
Like I said Mark, I'm not trying to sway your opinion. What I'm saying is that if people feel a certain way about something and someone feels a different way then we are just sharing opinions. I only feel the need to add when I see the "my way or the highway" attitude that some people give. Even when I don't agree to the motives and character of these players I give you a reason why they may do something and don't exactly ask you to understand it but consider that they are doing it for their own beliefs. I don't drink and I feel that the penalty for ANY person caught drunk driving should be mandatory jail time because they knew when they were sober that driving drunk could cause injury or death. But the law give those people a 2nd chance because law-makers can't always be hypocrites. They are often caught driving drunk. They know that it could be them. When they made mandatory sentencing for crack cocaine ten year they KNEW that they would never get caught doing that. It was a ghetto drug, unlike regular cocaine. If you look at a lot of laws that should be harsher they aren't because we have caught law-makers breaking those laws. I think some punishments for broken law on the books are somewhat lenient because somewhere a law-maker knew he might break it.
William,
I loved your examples about lawmakers and their predispositions toward making tough laws that won't ever concern themselves. I totally agree with that.
In my opinion, public schools are in a state of almost disrepair because most lawmakers--remember, majority rules--do not send their children to public schools or the public schools that would be effected by whatever unreasonable, ridiculous or unfunded reform acts made by people who, frankly, don't even know what's going on in the classroom! "No Child Left Behind," while noble in its intentions, was unreasonable in its breadth and unconscionable in its underfunding. Why? It was because hardly anyone legislating this reform policy would ever be personally effected!
Thank you very much Gig. I'm not trying to soap box anything but I'm trying to convey something that I think is a problem. I mentioned that cop who beat the bartender because no one in sports could ever be up in arms about that. Drunk drivers are given a lot of leeway because law-makers like drinking. I remember the female D.A. from one of my neighboring county who died driving drunk. She was drinking during business hours with some coworkers and crashed in a county vehicle. She was a tough as nail prosecuter who died in a hypocritical manner. Drinkers are forgiven so readily because they represent a vast array of people. Coach Ditka didn't lose his job after he was caught driving drunk. No one mentions that situation when they evaluate him. He is still an Icon. But you'd never hear anyone saying that if the cops didn't stop him that night that he may have killed someone. Who is going to say that? Everyone who drinks and drive could kill someone. Guys on this blog have and then have the audacity to come on here and denounce someone who got caught. That is a hypocrite who lives in a glass house. People make mistakes. Plax and Stallworth made mistakes that people should forgive them for. If the family that they harmed can , why shouldn't we? I don't drink and don't have a gun and I won't get on a high horse and rail against anyone just because his shoes doesn't fit me. And I still haven't stated that I want the Bears to sign Plax. A one year,incentive-laden contract might make him a model citizen or it may not. Let them decide and then live with the result.
Excellent analogy William. I can see that we are people who can agree to disagree in an agreeable way.
Points well taken.